Pressure-regulator.



N. M.'LA FORTE. PRESSURE REGULATOR." APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17,1914. I

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Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

N. M. LA PORTE. PRESSURE REGULATOR. APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 17, 1914. 1 1 1 293, I Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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NORBERT M. LA FORTE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PRESSURE-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914..

Application filed August 1'7, 1914. Serial No. 857,076.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TOIIBER'I M. LA Pou'rn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressure-Regula tors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for limiting the pressure in a steam boiler. At the present time the universally accepted means for accomplishing this kind of regulation is the pop safety valve. The safety valve, while perfectly reliable and unfailing in its eii'ectiveness to accomplish the main object in view, that is, to prevent the increase of boiler pressure beyond the pie-determined point, has various inherent disadvantages. The loss of steam at maximum pressure due to the blowing of the safety valve is considerable. When figured in actual coal consumption and, in turn,

in dollars and cents thus wasted, the loss amounts to an item of tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in the yearly expense of the larger railroads. The noise of the blowing safety valves on locomotives of diificulty to the engine driver and fireman.

In the case of locomotives drawing fast trains it is customary to maintain the full working pressure in order that speed may be obtained and the fireman keeps the pressure up to the point where the safety valve feathers. Itis almost impossible to avoid the generation of excess of steam under these conditions which causes the opening of the safety valve with the losses in heat units and steam pressure and wear upon the safety valve which invariably follow. This is ,es-

pecially true when steam is cut off from the cylinders when approaching stations and in city yards where the noise of the safety valve is especially objectionable.

To eliminate these variousdisadvantagesdeterminhd workingpmssure whereby water is automatically fed to the boiler to cool the contents and take up the excess heat, thereby retarding the generation of steam and avoiding the necessity for the frequent operation of the safety valve, with the consequent loss of heat units.

As a means for feeding water to the boiler 1 may use any type of pump or supplementary injector or even theservice injector of the boiler connected to a pressure control for this purpose and while the device is capable of various applications, it is preferably used, particularly in locomotives in connection with and supplementary to the regular safety valve, to prevent the frequent blowing of the safety valve and in its preferred form, the equipment consists of a supplementary injectorconn'ected to the boiler to be operated when the boiler pressure .rises above a predetermined normal, the steam pipe leading from the boiler at a point in the plane of the maximum water level so that the injector will be flooded and cannot operate when there is an excess 'iif water in the boiler. While this is an effective means for preventing the injection of an excess of water into the boiler, it will be clearly apparent that other means to this end may be adopted within the scope of my invention which relates not only to the apparatus described and various equipment whereby the kind of regulation described may be accomplished but also to the'method of limiting the pressure in a steam boiler which consists in injecting water into the boiler whenever the pressure rises above a pre-determined normal and checking the injection of water whenever there is an excess of Water'in the boiler. i

In the drawings I haveiliiistrated a portion of a locomot ve boiler to which a. device embodying my invention has-been applied.

Figure 1 is an eleyation of a. portion of the boiler and cab showing the equipment. Fig.

2 is a detailed view partly in section illustrating the feeding device and operating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings by numerals each of which is used to indicate the same or similar parts in the different figures: I have shown a locomotive boiler 1, a cab 2, a service injector 3, manually controlled to feed water to the oiler under ordinary circumstances and an auxi iary or supplemental injector 4, which is" the pressure controlled, water feeding member referred to 11,1 inane herein. This injector t, for which any other pressure controlled, feeding device may be substituted within the scope of my invention, is illustrated in Fig. 2. Tn the 'pert'erred form it is an ordinary, feed, water in.- jector of small capacity, as compared to the service injector, taking steam from the boiler by way of the pipe 5, which leads from the boiler at the maximum desired water level within the boiler indicated by the dotted line 6, in 1. Enter is supplied from. the tender by way of the pipe I, and the delivery is by way of the pipe 8, to the top of the boiler at 9.

The control referred to is accomplished by means of the injector throttle valve 10,

moved by means of a sliding rod 11, which carries at its rear end a pilston 12, working in a fluid pressure cylinder 13. A spring 14:, tends to advance the piston 12, holding the valve 10, normally seated. ln the controlling operation, the valve 10, is lifted from its reat when the pressure in the boiler rises above the pro-determined working his is accomplished by the introduction of fluid in front of the piston 12. To this end it provide a port 14, leading to the cylinder 13, in front of the piston. This port is controlled by a valve 15, actuated by means of a diaphragm 16, depressed by means of a spring 17, so that the valve 15, is normally seated. Fluid pressure acting contrary to the tension of the spring 17, tending to raise the diaphragm and unseat the valve 15, is supplied by means of a pipe 18. This pipe may lead eitherto the steam or Water space of the boiler and in this instance it leads fluid under pressure to the port 14: of the cylinder 13, as well as to the lower side of the diaphragm 16. To permit the escape of steam and condensed water from the cylinder 13 when the valve 15,

. closes owing to a drop of pressure within the boiler, a needle valve or other suitable escape 19, is provided. This is open slightly permitting the steam to escape slowly so,

that unless the supply through the inlet port 14: is maintained, the pressure in front of the piston 12, is relaxed permitting the spring" 14, to seat the valve 10, but as long as the pressure in the boiler is maintained above the-predetermined working pressure, the supply of steam retained in the cylinder 13, in excess of what escapes through the valve i9, is suilicient to compress the spring 14, and hold the valve 10, in open position.

in order to give notice to the fireman of the fact that the pressure within the ooiler is in excess of the working pressure so that he may regulate his firing accordingly, a pipe 20, is led from the cylinder 13, to a diaphragm 21, which, when there is pressure in the cylinder 1.3, serves to open a valve in the pipe 22, allowing compressed air to pass from the air reservoirs upon the engine to a whistle 25, or other signal located conven iently to the firemans working position.

The operation of the device will be easily understood from the preamble and drawing taken in connection with the specification. The spring 17, is tensioned by the screw 17 .to permit the opening of the'valve 15, by the water, reducing the temperature and retarding the generation of steam to such an ex tent that the pressure almost immediately drops below the point of regulation and the diaphragm- 16, closes the valve 15, permit ting the valve 10, of the injector 4:, to close so that the automatic feed of water is dis continued. There are circmnstances under which the maximum quantity of water is already in the boiler and it would be detrimental. to add more. If this condition exists the'water will flow through the pipe 5, and flood the injector preventing its feeding action, for it will be remembered that the pipe 5, enters the boiler at the high water level and it is easily apparent that the injector cannot operate merely with a supply of hot water, it must have steam to act on the feed water in order to be operative.

The method of my invention consists in regulating -or limiting the pressure of a steam boiler by injecting water into the boiler whenever the pressure exceeds the predetermined working pressure and discontinuing the injection of water whenever the water in the boiler exceeds the desired maximum level.

T have thus described my invention specifically and in detail in order that its nature and operation may be clearly understood, however, the specific terms herein are used in their descriptive rather than in their limiting sense and the scope of the invention is defined in the claims.

What ll claim is:

1. In combination with a steam boiler for limiting the pressure in the boiler means for feeding water to the boiler and automatic means actuated by the variation of boiler pressure for controlling said feeding means to feed water to the boiler when the pressure rises above normal.

2. In combination with a steam boiler for limiting the pressure in the boiler, means for feeding water to the boiler and means actuated by the variation of boiler pressure for controlling said feeding means to feed till nit

vice.

4. The combination with a steam-boiler of the operation of the feeding means whenever I the water level in the boiler exceeds a predetermined maximum.

3. In'c'ombination with 'a steam boiler for limiting the pressure in the boiler, a water feeding device, a throttle valve for said device, a fluid actuated member operatively connected with said throttle valve for opening the same and a valve actuated by the bo ler pressure when in excess of the normal working pressure of the boiler to operate said fluid actuated member to open the throttle and operate saidboiler feeding dean automatic pressure-controlled boiler feedin device responsive to pressures in excess of the normal working pressure of the boiler, whereby water will be automatically fed to the boiler during the maintenance of excess pressure therein.

5. The combination with a steam boiler and the main feeding device therefor of an automatic auxiliary pressure controlled, feeding device responsive to pressures in excess of the normal working pressure of the boiler, whereby water will be automatically fed to the boiler during the maintenance of excess pressure therein.

6. The combination with a steam boiler of a pressure-controlled injector responsive to pressures in excess of the normal working pressure of the boiler, whereby water will be automatically fed to the boiler during the maintenance of excess pressure therein.

7. The combination with a steam boiler and main feedini g device therefor of an auxiliary pressure-controlled injector responsive to pressures in excess of the normal working pressure of the boiler, whereby water will be automatically fed to the boiler during the maintenance of excess pressure therein.

8. The combination with a steam boiler of a pressure-controlled boiler feeding device taking steam from the boiler at the desired high water level thereof and res onsive to pressures in excessof the norma workin pressure of the boiler, whereby water wil be automatically fed to the boiler during the maintenance of excess pressure and a water level'lower than the desired high water level thereof.

9. The combination with a steam boiler and main feeding device therefor of an auxiliary injector taking steam from the boiler atthe desired high water level thereof and res onsive to pressures in excess of the norma working pressure of the boiler, whereby water will be automatically fed to the boiler during the maintenance of excess pressure and a water level lower than the desired high water level thereof.

10; The combination with a steam boiler of a boiler feeding device, a throttle valve for said device, a fluid actuated piston operatively connected'with said valve to open the same, and a valve actuated by the boiler pressure in excess'of the normal working pressure of the boiler to admit fluid to said piston to open said throttle to automatically operate said boiler feeding device.

11. The combination with a steam boiler of an injectorconnected to feed said boiler, a cylinder, a spring-r turn piston in said cylinder and operatively connected with the throttle of said injector to open and close the same, a valve for admitting fluid from said boiler to said piston to actuate the same and open said throttle, a diaphragm operatively connected to said valve and exposed to the boiler pressure, a spring tensroned to normally hold said valve closed and yield to permit said valve to open when the boiler pressure exerted on said diaphragm is in excess of the normal working pressure of the boiler.

12; The combination withu'asteam boiler of a pressure-controlled boiler feeding device responsive to pressures in excess of the normal working pressure of the boiler, and a signal valve actuated simultaneously w th the actuation of said boiler-feeding device, whereby water will be automatically fed to the boilerand a signal actuated during the maintenance'of excess pressure within the Hosanna" M. LA ron'rn.

Witnesses: v

EDWIN SAM, JENNIE FARsoN.

Copies of thi: patent may be obtained for five cents'each. by addressing the Eommintoner oi'htenwa Washington, D. G. 

